Packaging for decorative frangible ornaments

ABSTRACT

Packaging for enclosing and displaying frangible items has a base, tray and cover. The base has bottom and side walls that are opaque with their inner surfaces being mirroro-like. A tray sits in the base and is made of a transparent material and has recesses for supporting the items in a position wherein they extend above the side walls of the base. A cover extends beyond the side walls of the tray and extends over the tops of the items and is made of a transparent material enabling the items to be substantially fully viewed through the cover by virtue of the transparent cover, transparent tray and light reflecting side walls of the base.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to packaging for holding and displaying frangibleitems such as holiday ornaments.

2. Discussion of Related Art

Decorative items such as holiday ornaments are customarily packaged inboxes that enable the ornaments to be only partially viewed withoutremoving them from the packaging. Typically, the packaging includes abase, tray and cover. In some prior art packaging of this type, the baseand cover are made of one piece of opaque material such as cardboard.Typically, the cover has a transparent plastic window, and the ornamentsare supported on a tray inside the base. In other such prior artpackaging, the base and cover are separately fabricated, and the covermade of a transparent material extends over the side walls of the baseso that the ornaments inside the packaging can only be viewed throughthe top of the cover. In both forms of prior art described, the traysare made of opaque material, and the trays are provided with recessesthat receive the ornaments in a position which leaves half or more ofthe surface of the ornament hidden from view.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In accordance with one aspect of this invention, the packaging enablessubstantially all of each ornament in the package to be viewed throughthe cover as the tray which supports the ornaments is made of atransparent material and the inner surface of the base is lightreflective or mirror-like. In accordance with another aspect of thisinvention the ornaments sit in a relatively high position above the topof the side wall of the base, and the cover enables the ornaments to beviewed through the side as well as the top of the packaging. Theelevated position of the ornament and the light properties of thematerials from which the various components are made allow substantiallyall sides of the ornaments to be viewed through the cover withoutopening or removing the ornaments from the packaging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component that isillustrated in various figures is represented by a like numeral. Forpurposes of clarity, not every component may be labeled in everydrawing. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of ornament packaging embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the packaging taken along sectionline 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the base and tray of oneembodiment of the packaging,

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a partially erected base in accordancewith one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which the base of FIG. 4 ismade;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the cover inaccordance with the present invention, and

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the cover of FIG. 6 ismade.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention is not limited in its application to the details ofconstruction and the arrangement of components set forth in thefollowing description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention iscapable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carriedout in various ways. Also, the phraseology and terminology used hereinis for the purpose of description and should not be regarded aslimiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having,”“containing”, “involving”, and variations thereof herein, is meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well asadditional items.

The packaging of the present invention includes three major elements,namely, a base 10, cover 12 and tray 14. The tray has one or morerecesses 16 that receive the ornaments to be displayed in the packaging.As broadly described, packaging composed of a box, cover and tray arewell known in the art. However, the packaging of the present inventionincludes modifications of several parts that markedly enhance thedisplay of the glass ornaments or other products placed in thepackaging.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the innersurfaces 17 of the base of packaging 10 are dark, and preferably black,and are light reflective, that is, they have a mirror-like quality thatwill reflect the ornaments or other items disposed before the surface.The base may be made of heavy paper, cardboard or other sheet productthat preferably possesses enough stiffness to maintain the side walls ofthe box in a generally perpendicular position with respect to the basebottom wall.

In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the base 10 is madeof cardboard cut as a single sheet in the configuration shown in FIG. 5.The base blank shown has a pair of opposite side walls 18 attached tothe bottom wall 20 along fold lines 22, and flaps 24 extend from eachend thereof at fold lines 26. On the other two opposite sides of thebottom wall 20 are additional side walls 28 attached to those sidesalong fold lines 30. This second set of opposite side walls 28 areformed so as to fold up and over the flaps 24 on the first pair of sidewalls and extend downwardly along their inner faces, and a flange 32 isprovided at the edge of each of the second pair of side walls tofrictionally engage the upper surface 17 of the bottom wall 20 when thebox is erected. This particular configuration of the box is free ofadhesive or other material which would detract from the clean unadornedbox surfaces and add to its manufacturing costs.

The tray 14 is made of transparent material such as PVC plastic andpreferably is thermoformed. The tray is sized to fit within the base 10and is complementary shaped so as to just fit within the base. The trayhas side walls 36 whose lower edges 38 preferably rest on the basebottom wall 20 and flanges 32, and the side walls are of a height tosupport the top wall 40 of the tray at or just below the rim 42 of thebase. The wells 16 are shaped to complement the shape of the ornaments44 or other items to be displayed in the package, and in the embodimentshown, as the ornaments are essentially round, the wells 16 areapproximately hemi-spherical in shape. In the specific embodiment shown,as the wells are designed to receive decorative ornaments 44 thatinclude a spherical body 46 and a short cylindrical collar 48 carryingthe rings 50 by means of which the ornaments are hung, the wells 16 havegenerally semi-cylindrical extensions 52 that receive the collars. It isto be appreciated that while three wells are shown in the drawings,essentially any number may be provided, depending only on the size ofthe packaging and the size of the ornaments to be contained therein.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, theornaments 44 extend above the rim 42 of the base 10. The portions of theornaments extending above the tray 14 and base 10 are, however, enclosedby the cover 12.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the cover 12 isin the form of a sleeve (see FIG. 6) that fits snugly over the bottom 20and side walls 18 and 28 of the base, but the top wall 60 of the coveris spaced substantially above the rim 42 of the base 10 and the top wall40 of the tray 14, so as to enclose the portions of the ornaments thatextend above the tray. In accordance with one embodiment of theinvention, the cover is made of a transparent material such as PVC. Inthe embodiment shown, the plastic from which the cover is made is formedas a sheet (see FIG. 7) and is provided with fold lines shown in brokenlines in FIG. 7, that define the top wall 60 and bottom walls 62,opposite side walls 64, and opposite end walls 66, the latter each beingcomposed of a pair of inner flaps 68 and a pair of outer flaps eachcomposed of a female 70 and male 72. The inner flaps 68, two at each endof the cover, are integral with the side edges of the side walls 64. Theouter pair of flaps 70 and 72 are connected to the end edges 74 of thetop and bottom walls 60 and 62 of the cover and in turn overlap oneanother and enclose the inner flaps 68 when the cover is erected. Theouter flaps are releasably held in the cover forming configuration bymeans of tongues 76, two carried on each of the male outer flaps 72 andthreaded through a pair of slots 78 in the other outer flaps 70. Theassembly of the various end flaps is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Obviously,other forms of closure may be used as well, such as single tongue andslot, interengaging slits, etc.

In accordance with the embodiment of cover shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, thecover is erected by bending the various walls along the fold lines(shown as broken lines) that connect them to adjacent walls of the coverblank. A narrow flange 80 is provided along the edge 82 of the lowerwall 62 which is cemented to the one side wall 64 so as to permanentlyform the cover into a sleeve when the inner and outer pairs of flaps 68,70 and 72 are opened. Obviously such a flange could alternatively beprovided along the edge 84 of the side wall 64. In the configuration ofan open ended sleeve, the sub-assembly of base 10, tray 14 and ornaments44 may be slipped within the cover through either end, and when the endsof the sub-assembly are aligned with the end edges of the top and bottomwalls, the inner and outer end flaps may be detachably locked in themanner described. It will be appreciated that when the cover isassembled in that fashion on the sub-assembly of base, tray andornaments with the end flaps closed, a secure package is formed thatwill not accidentally or unintentionally open and allow the contents ofthe cover to spill out. And when the cover is closed, with the base,tray, and ornaments disposed within the cover, all sides of eachornament may be readily viewed because of the transparency of the coverand tray and the light reflective quality of the inner surfaces of thebase. Thus, when the package is on display, for example, in a store,display room or other facility, a potential customer viewing the packagemay quickly appreciate the full beauty of the ornaments on display byseeing all of their sides through the transparent cover and withoutopening the package. As is evident in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ornaments maybe viewed through the top wall 60 or the portions of the side walls 64or of the end walls 66 of the cover that are disposed above the upperedges 42 of the side walls 18 and 28 of the base 10 as indicated by thereflected images 44′ and lines of sight 86.

While the preferred embodiment of the cover has been described indetail, it should be appreciated that other embodiments of covers madeof transparent material may be used and achieve many of the advantagesof the preferred embodiment described.

For example, if the cover is of the same shape in plan view as the baseand is sized to slip over a portion or all of the side and end walls ofthe base, and if this embodiment of cover is made of a transparentmaterial, at least with respect to that portion of the cover which liesabove the rim of the base, and further if the side walls of the coverextend above the top edges of the side walls of the base, the ornamentspackaged therein will be easily viewed just as is described inconnection with the preferred embodiment. However, such a cover wouldnot provide a degree of protection provided by the preferred embodiment,and it may be too easy for a customer to open the box and handle theornaments, and upon deciding to purchase the product, he/she may selectanother box as opposed to that which the customer opened.

Alternative constructions are also available for the base. While in thepreferred embodiment, the base is very conveniently erected without theuse of any adhesive material. More conventional constructions may beemployed with separate end and side walls on all sides thereof with suchwalls being cemented together. It is however, important that the innersurfaces of the walls including the bottom wall be mirror-like toenhance the visibility of the ornaments.

It is also most advantageous to have the side walls of the tray made ofa transparent material so as not to diminish the light reflectingquality of the inner surfaces of the base. However, as an alternative,the inner surfaces of the side walls of the tray may be made of amirror-like material so as to substitute for the reflective qualities ofthe side walls of the base that are covered by the tray side walls.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated various alterations, modifications,and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description and drawings areby way of example only.

1. Packaging for holding and displaying one or more ornaments comprisinga base having a bottom wall and a side wall that extends upwardly fromthe bottom wall, the upper surface of the bottom wall and the innersurface of the side wall being light reflective, mirror-like surfaces, atray on the base having a transparent top wall disposed above and spacedfrom the bottom wall of the base, at least one recess in the top wallfor holding an ornament, and a transparent cover forming a continuationof the side wall of the base and extending upwardly above the base andspaced above the tray for enclosing ornament disposed in the recess, thetransparent tray and cover and the inner surfaces of the side wall andbottom wall of the base enabling an ornament in a recess in the tray tobe viewed substantially in its entirety through the cover.
 2. Thepackaging of claim 1 wherein the walls of the base are opaque.
 3. Thepackaging of claim 1 wherein the tray top wall is disposed in a plane inclose proximity to the plane of the upper edge of the side wall.
 4. Thepackaging of claim 1 wherein the tray has at least one side wall that isdisposed adjacent the side wall of the base and supports the tray topwall on the base bottom wall.
 5. The packaging of claim 4 wherein thetray side wall and top wall are integrally formed of a transparentplastic.
 6. The packaging of claim 5 wherein the tray top wall isdisposed in a plane in close proximity to the plane of the upper edge ofthe side wall.
 7. The packaging of claim 1 wherein the recess is sizedfor supporting the ornament so that it extends above the upper edge ofthe side wall of the base.
 8. The packaging of claim 7 wherein the coverhas a side wall and a top wall, said cover side wall being transparentwhereby an ornament in a recess of the tray may be viewed through thetop and side walls of the cover.
 9. The packaging of claim 1 wherein therecesses are shaped to conform to receive approximately one half of anornament to be displayed in the package.
 10. The packaging of claim 8wherein the cover completely encloses the base and tray.
 11. Thepackaging of claim 10 wherein the cover is formed as a sleeve thatreceives the base and tray with or without an ornament or ornaments inthe recesses.
 12. The packaging of claim 11 wherein the cover has flapson the ends of the sleeve to further enclose the base and tray.
 13. Thepackaging of claim 12 wherein the base is a paper product and the trayand cover are made of plastic.
 14. Packaging for containing anddisplaying decorative objects comprising, a base made of acardboard-like material and having bottom and side walls with inner andouter surfaces, said inner surfaces being made of a light reflectivematerial, a thermoformed transparent tray having a top wall disposed ata height substantially at the level of the top of the side walls, saidtop wall having a least one recess for receiving a decorative object ina snug fit so as to releasably hold the object in a fixed position onthe tray, and a cover in the shape of a sleeve removably receiving thebase and tray and forming a closure for the package, said sleeve havinga top wall overlying and spaced above the tray and made of a transparentmaterial for enabling portions of the object on the tray both above andbelow the plane of the tray to be viewed with the cover in placeenclosing the base and tray.
 15. Packaging for containing and displayingdecorative objects comprising, a base having bottom and side walls, saidwalls having mirror-like inner surfaces, a transparent tray disposed onthe base above the bottom wall of said base for carrying at least onedecorative object in place on the tray, and a cover having a top walldisposed above the tray, said cover enabling at least the upper and sideportions of the object to be viewed while the object is on the tray andcompleting an enclosure for the objects when attached to the base. 16.The packaging of claim 1 wherein the base bottom and side walls areformed of one piece and are held in erect configuration by the tray freeof any form of adhesive.